CHERUB: Stockpile
by jonnygreen0
Summary: James Adams is almost at the end of his CHERUB career. Well-respected on campus and regarded as one of the best agents around, he's summoned to the chairwoman's office for a mission briefing where the price of failure could be catastrophic. Working with his sister's best friend Bethany doesn't make the job any easier, especially not for James who's trying to reconcile his feelings.
1. Prologue

Jack felt sick. He couldn't believe what he was seeing on the screen in front of him, and yet he knew it was true. He'd been searching for this information for weeks, all the while secretly hoping it wouldn't appear.

_*EMAIL TRANSMISSION*_

_11:43am, 21/04/2008_

_From: _

_To: 'Mohammed Al-Jahani'; 'Mo Al-Jahani20'_

_Subject: CLASSIFIED:__Shipment FT-IG-243_

_Mo,_

_I've sent this to both your accounts so it has the best chance of reaching you as quickly as possible. The shipment we agreed is being sent out this afternoon under the number FT-IG-243. It's being sent by cargo plan to Kuwait City, tail number G-JIKL, arrival time 16:45 local time, and from there by convoy to Tehran. It should be with you within 16 hours of touchdown in Kuwait._

_As discussed, please arrange payment in the usual manner. I hope the good reach you in good condition and that you are able to make full use of them._

_Regards,_

_John_

_Sir John Franklin_

_CEO, Franklin Trading Ltd_

It had taken Jack, an up-and-coming IT technician, three days to extract that email and several like it from his company's highly secure computer system, and it would almost certainly cost him his job if it was discovered that he had hacked the database. However, coupled with other pieces of evidence he'd managed to find, he was now 100% sure he'd uncovered a dark and potentially terrifying secret. He picked up his mobile phone from the desk and dialled a number he'd been waiting weeks to call.

"Good afternoon, MI5 confidential information helpline," said the automated voice. "Please hold while we connect you to an operative." There was a click, and then the over-familiar strains of Vivaldi's Four Seasons came drifting through the line. After about thirty seconds, the phone reconnected.

"Good afternoon, my name's Kelly, how can I help you?" asked a friendly voice.

"Oh hello, I'm afraid I have some disturbing news regarding Franklin Trading," began Jack.


	2. A New Mission

Bethany had an effect on James. He'd never admit it, but when she was around it reminded him of how he used to feel with Kerry. Even when they argued, which was often, he couldn't help secretly fancying her. No matter how he felt, though, she was his sister's best mate and they supposedly hated each other's guts, so he didn't rate his chances. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a tannoy announcement. The campus had recently installed a new, super-loud PA system that could be heard anywhere on site, and James still hadn't got used to the noise.

"James Adams, report to the chairwoman's office please." He swore aloud, wondering what the hell he'd done this time, but he was relieved to hear the word 'please'. That at least meant he wasn't in for a serious bollocking off Zara, but he had been midway through a thrilling game on FIFA and was reluctant to drag himself away, especially not when he'd just gone 4-3 up against Chelsea with three minutes left. As he slid off his bed and pulled on his trainers, there was a second announcement.

"Bethany Parker, report to the chairwoman's office please." James' heart skipped a beat, and he waited to hear if Lauren or Jake, Bethany's brother, were being summoned as well, but there were no more announcements. Since the girl's corridor was only a short walk away, he headed that way first, hoping to bump into Bethany so they could walk together. He got there just in time to see her locking her room.

"Bethany, wait for me!" he shouted. "Thought we might as well walk together." Bethany gave him an odd look, but didn't walk off.

"Ok, but this doesn't mean we're mates, yeah?" she replied, her tone suggesting she wasn't serious.

"Don't worry, I still can't stand your face," said James playfully, though secretly, her face was one of the few on campus he could stand, especially since his relationship with Dana had gone so badly wrong.

"Wonder what the moody cow wants us for this time?" Bethany and Zara were not on the best of terms, ever since the chairwoman had caught her sneaking into various boys' rooms at night and had given her five hundred punishment laps and three months of cleaning duty.

"Dunno, someone's probably grassed about the swim the other night." Cherubs were strictly forbidden from swimming in the lake on campus, but that hadn't stopped a group of the older ones, including James, Bethany and Lauren, from heading down one night with a few crates of beer and mucking about in the water. They were pretty sure they'd disabled all the security cameras before they'd gone down, but the racket had woken up a few red shirts, and the little kids loved nothing more than telling on the older ones.

"Hope not, if I'm in the shit again then I'm getting booted out, and CHERUB's all I've got."

"If she tries to kick you out, I'll say it was all my idea," blurted out James, without really thinking.

"Since when do you care whether I stay on campus? You offer to walk with me, now you wanna stick up for me? Anyone would think you fancied me, or something!"

"Me, fancy you? Never. I just know how much it'd hurt Lauren if her best friend got kicked out of CHERUB." Bethany relaxed and gave him a big smile.

"That's the nicest thing I think I've ever heard you say, James. Maybe you're not so bad deep down." They fell silent as they walked towards Zara's office, not wanting to say another word. James felt embarrassed by what he'd said, and Bethany was confused by a raft of new feelings swimming around in her head. James was fit, and all the girls fancied him, but she'd always though he was too much of an arrogant prick to bother with. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"Come in, you two," said Zara, smiling. "Have a seat." She was unusually friendly, and James began to panic, thinking that there was some terrible news to come.

"What's this about?" asked Bethany irritably. "I'm missing Hollyoaks for this!"

"You can lose the attitude miss, or I'll have you out of here before I've had chance to explain myself." Zara's patience with Bethany was already stretched, and didn't need much to snap all together. "I've brought you two here because I want you to work together for me, on a mission that's come down from the highest level."

"Why us?" asked James.

"Because the two of you fit the requirements exactly. Also, I know the two of you don't get on, so here's a chance to prove you can work together. If you can put aside your differences and concentrate on the mission, then I'll happily take back anything I might have said in the past. No matter what you've done on campus, your mission performances have been exemplary, particularly yours, James. I'm giving you the ultimate chance to prove yourselves."

"So what's the mission?" asked Bethany. She looked pleased at the prospect of having her slate wiped clean.

"Have either of you heard of Sir John Franklin?" Both agents shook their heads. "Not surprising. He runs Franklin Trading, they're one of the biggest names in the world of arms trading, but he doesn't make a show of his money or influence. Most people see him as a good and just man, and he's been awarded just about every honour it's possible to receive. The government and the press love him, but about six months ago, MI5 got an anonymous tip-off from someone within his company, warning them that everything wasn't quite as it seemed."

"What, so he's been selling weapons to bad guys and stuff?" enquired James.

"Yes, but not just guns and ammunition. Rumour has it he's been shipping plutonium to people who really shouldn't be getting their hands on it."

"Plutonium? But isn't that used..."

"To make nuclear bombs, yes. If this is true, then it could spark a global catastrophe. We need you two to infiltrate Franklin Trading, find out exactly what's going on, and try and stop any more shipments from being sent out."

"So why us two?" asked Bethany.

"James, you're exceptional at maths and big for your age, so you can easily pass as a university graduate. We're going to get you a job as a trainee accountant within Franklin Trading itself. It'll be hard work, but you'll have a team of experts available for you to consult at any time if you get stuck. Find out what you can, and get hold of as much information as is possible. Suck up to your superiors, and we'll pull a few strings to see if we can get you fast-tracked to dealing with the more secretive stuff. Bethany, I'm afraid your job isn't as glamorous, but it is just as important. Franklin's youngest daughter, Helen, runs a fashion blogging website, Frank about Fashion. Have you heard of it?" Bethany nodded excitedly. "Good. I know you love all that kind of stuff, so you're going to take on the role of a work experience student helping Helen out. Mostly, you'll be making tea, photocopying, that sort of stuff, but we need you to get as close to Helen as possible. She's very fond of her father, and you're going to manipulate that bond in order to try and find out some of his secrets. Get friendly with her, offer to do extra jobs, ask her what's on her mind. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what to do. Ideally, you want to be around at Franklin's house as much as possible."

"So are we acting as brother and sister on this?"

"No, you don't look alike enough to pass as family, so instead you're going to have to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend." Both agents groaned, but Zara ignored them. "To be honest, you won't be seeing that much of each other, so the illusion shouldn't be hard to keep up. Just talk nicely about each other when you're around people, and then when you're on your own you can hate each other as much as you like. I know it's not ideal, but it's the only way to explain two young adults living in a house together who don't bear any resemblance to each other. Are you in?" James and Bethany paused for a moment, looked at each other and both nodded. "Good, you'll be wanting these."

_**CLASSIFIED: CHERUB MISSION BRIEFING**_

_FOR JAMES ADAMS AND BETHANY PARKER_

_DO NOT COPY OR MAKE NOTES_

_DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE CHAIRWOMAN'S OFFICE_

_**SIR JOHN FRANKLIN**_

_Born in Manchester in 1950, John Franklin, the son of a lawyer and a doctor, always had ambitions of being the very best. Excelling at school, he eventually went on to attain a first class degree in accounting from Cambridge University in 1972. He founded Franklin Trading straight after leaving university with two close friends._

_He married his wife Jo in 1978 and the couple have three children. David, 28, is the eldest of the Franklin children and works for his father in the IT department of Franklin Trading. A computer whiz, he has helped create a number of unique programs that give his company an edge over their rivals. David is single and reported to be gay, although CHERUB has found no evidence to support this theory. The couple's middle child, Joshua, 25, is a Royal Navy Diver, and so rarely sees the rest of his family except when on leave. He and his father communicate regularly by email, and it is thought that it is Joshua who helps broker many of Franklin Trading's inside deals with the UK Armed Forces through careful manipulation and coalescence of his superiors. He has two children, 4-year-old twins Jen and Martin, although they live with their mother, Lucy Davies, 30, following a messy divorce after Joshua admitted to having an affair with his current girlfriend, 22-year-old Yasmin Avakian. Helen Franklin, 21, is a self-made fashion expert and blogger, running the hugely popular website Frank about Fashion from her father's house. The closest of the three children to John, Helen dotes on her father and worships the ground he walks on, making her an easy target for manipulation._

_Knighted in 2003 for his contributions to the defence industry, Franklin is a millionaire who lives on a peaceful estate in Kensington, although he has recently bought a large house in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, so that he can spend more time close to his family in Manchester, especially his father, 85-year-old Harry, who is suffering from lung cancer. He is a keen golfer and a self-confessed petrolhead, prizing his collection of cars above most of his other possessions._

_**FRANKLIN TRADING LTD**_

_Originally founded as a way of helping companies sell off excess stock to interested parties at a higher price than they would otherwise have been able to get, Franklin Trading quickly expanded into the lucrative arms trade. The company's business strategy is to buy up surplus or outdated military equipment and sell it on to developing countries looking to build up their own armed forces. Although most of its business is above board, the company has been investigated several times for corruption and fraud, but no evidence has ever been found._

_Valued by Forbes at over $450million, Franklin Trading is multinational company with a vast reputation and long-standing links with many of the big names in defence. Six months ago, MI5 received an anonymous phone call from an employee of the company, claiming that he had unearthed evidence that his bosses had been buying plutonium illegally and selling it on to the highest bidder. This evidence, although only circumstantial, was enough to persuade intelligence officers to launch an investigation, and they began monitoring the company from outside. Having failed to gather sufficient information, MI5 turned to CHERUB for help._

_**THE MISSION**_

_CHERUB will deploy two senior black shirt agents on the mission, a male who can pass as a university graduate and a female with a keen interest in fashion. The male's role will be to join Franklin Trading as a trainee accountant on the company's popular graduate scheme. The male should be exceptional at maths and look older than their age in order to give the impression of being a 21-year-old graduate. A false identity, qualifications and references will all be taken care of, and a team of former accountants now working for MI5 will be in a position to offer advice should the agent require assistance with the accounting side of the job. He will attempt to get fast-tracked through the system until working with sensitive information, from which it is hoped some evidence will emerge. The female agent will pose as a fashion-enthusiastic college student, joining Frank about Fashion on work experience and keen to get ahead in a competitive industry. Although the tasks this agent will perform will be menial, it is their friendship with Helen Franklin that is more important. Given that she still lives with her father, spending as much time as possible at the Franklin house is a necessity, and the agent should use all their skills to try and extract information, either from Helen Franklin herself of by covert surveillance of the property. _

_The two agents will pose as boyfriend and girlfriend, aged 21 and 18 respectively and living together in a small North London flat. No requirement is placed on the agents to act out their role as a couple unless strictly necessary. Full back stories will be provided, but as the agents will be heavily experienced, some degree of improvisation in order to make convincing stories is encouraged, as long as all details are cleared by CHERUB. CHERUB chairwoman Zara Asker will act as mission controller, but will be based on campus, so the two agents will be largely independent. _

_This mission has been categorised as LOW RISK. There is no evidence to suggest that Franklin Trading is using any form of physical threat or violence in order to do its trading, and agents should not be exposed to any form of risk. Agents are reminded, however, of the dangers associated with plutonium and should avoid any areas where it may be being stored or transferred unless authorised to do so by mission control. The CHERUB ethics committee unanimously voted in favour of this mission_

_* END OF BRIEFING*_


End file.
